social service

noun

plural social services

: a program or effort designed to promote human or societal well-being

specifically : organized help for people who are in need of assistance with basic needs (such as food, housing, safety, or job training) or with medical needs (such as addiction or mental illness)

—usually plural

Most states are struggling with skimpy resources and a system of uncoordinated social services that is totally inadequate to serve a population of individuals whose needs are bottomless.

—Constance Holden

… attacked the idea of social services, claiming that the only entity entitled to provide care is the church, not the government.

—Tori Otten

—often used before another noun

social service agencies

Until the bridge's closure, the island hosted and supported social service programs including homeless shelters and an addiction recovery campus.

—Ellie Wolfe

Examples of social service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2025

Joel Bergstrom Bergstrom is a principal at Orion Search Group, leading executive searches for clients in the nonprofit, public and private sectors, with a focus on higher education, social services, housing and the arts. —Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 12 Aug. 2025

The event was organized by Semillas Colombia, which provides social services to Colombians living in Florida. —Matias J. Ocner, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2025

And street medicine — health and social services for the unhoused — is a multidisciplinary effort that includes nurses, doctors, community health workers and navigators. —Sacbee.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for social service

• interservice
• disservice
• preservice
• nervous
• nervus